“I can do this,” he said quietly encouraging himself. He pulled back on the iron handle and slowly opened the door. As soon as the gap between the two large doors appeared Hakon's ears were bombarded with a loud and boisterous scene. It sounded as if the whole of the Council were arguing over something, but for what the boy could not answer. The squabble began to rob him of his courage and yet he pressed on as Leif had instructed him to do so. He kept his head low, avoiding eye contact and turning around to quietly close the door behind him. As the door slammed shut behind him he turned forward and slowly lifted his gaze to capture his surroundings.
The chambers of the Council were filled with scrolls and piled papers stocked taller than a man and placed in dusty old wooden shelves along
